Now, for these articles, I usually throw around some opinions and constructive criticisms. I'm going to keep all feelings aside and just report on some need to know facts about these bands to make your experience at the festival a little more enjoyable. If you know of someone going to the festival, pass the articles along and get them just as stoked as we are! For today, AFGM brings you SUICIDAL TENDENCIES!
Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the early '80s, the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken vocalist Mike Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on -- building a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the creation of skatepunk -- before turning their focus eventually to thrash metal. Early on, the group (whose original lineup included Muir, guitarist Grant Estes, bassist Louiche Mayorga, and drummer Amery Smith) found it increasingly difficult to book shows, due to rumors of its members' affiliation with local gangs and consistent violence at their performances. The underground buzz regarding Suicidal Tendencies grew too loud for labels to ignore though, as the quartet signed on with the indie label Frontier; issuing Muir and company's classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album quickly became the best-selling hardcore album up to that point; its best-known track, 'Institutionalized,' was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and was eventually used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man, as well as in an episode for the hit TV show Miami Vice (for which the group made a cameo appearance).
Suicidal Tendencies proved influential for future speed/thrash metal bands, but despite its early success, the quartet's reputation preceded them, as no other record label was willing to take them on (in addition, Los Angeles banned the group from playing around this time, lasting until the early '90s). Not much was heard from the group for several years afterward (leading many to believe that Suicidal had broken up), but Muir and company eventually found a home with Caroline Records. By this time, half of the original lineup had left; Muir and Mayorga were the only holdovers, while guitarist Rocky George and drummer R.J. Herrera rounded out the group. 1987 saw the release of Suicidal's sophomore release, Join the Army, which spawned another popular skatepunk anthem, 'Possessed to Skate,' as more and more metal heads began to be spotted in Suicidal's audience. Soon after, Suicidal was finally offered a major-label contract (with Epic), as another lineup change occurred: Mayorga exited the band, while newcomer Bob Heathcote took his spot; and a second guitarist, Mike Clark, was added as well. This Suicidal lineup's first album together, 1988's How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today, showed that their transformation from hardcore to heavy metal was now complete, as did a compilation of two earlier EPs, 1989's Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu.
Suicidal's first release of the new decade, 1990's Lights, Camera, Revolution, was another success; its video for the explosive 'You Can't Bring Me Down' received repeated airings on MTV's Headbanger's Ball program, while the album (in addition to the Controlled by Hatred comp) would be certified gold in the U.S. a few years later. The release also signaled the arrival of new bassist Robert Trujillo, whose penchant for funk added a new element to the group's sound. The group tried to broaden their audience even further by opening a string of arena shows for prog-metallists Queensrÿche during the summer of 1991. Their next release, 1992's The Art of Rebellion, proved to be one of Suicidal's most musically experimental albums of their career. Muir and Trujillo also teamed up around this time for a funk metal side project, Infectious Grooves (including several other participants, such as Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) and issued a debut release, The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move. Upset that the group's classic debut had been out of print for several years by this point, Muir decided to re-record the entire record with Suicidal's '90s lineup under the title of Still Cyco After All These Years.
But after one more release, 1994's Suicidal for Life, Suicidal Tendencies decided to hang it up. A pair of compilations were issued in 1997: a best-of set, Prime Cuts, plus Friends & Family. Muir and Trujillo continued to issue further Infectious Grooves releases (Sarsippius' Ark and Groove Family Cyco), in addition to Muir pursuing a solo career under the alias of Cyco Miko (Lost My Brain Once Again) and Trujillo touring and recording as part of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (appearing on Osbourne's 2001 release, Down to Earth). Muir formed a new version of Suicidal Tendencies in the late '90s (with Clark being the only other familiar face), resulting in such further studio releases as 1999's Freedumb and 2000's Free Your Soul and Save My Mind. Muir and Trujillo joined forces once more for a fourth Infectious Grooves studio release in 2000, Mas Borracho; while another Cyco Miko release surfaced, Schizophrenic Born Again Problem Child, along with a follow-up up to their earlier compilation, Friends & Family, Vol. 2.
After releasing the compilation ‘Year Of The Cycos’ in 2009 that included a selection of all brand new songs from Suicidal Tendencies and side bands Infectious Grooves, NoMercyFool and Cyco Miko, the band released in 2010 the first record in 10 years ‘No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family’ that included re-recordings of classic jems off the ‘Join The Army records’ and infamous recording ‘Widespread Bloodshed’ for Mike Muir and Mike Clark side band No Mercy back in early eighties.
Now the band will be back with their brand new album in 12 years…Story has yet to be written!
2012 edition of Suicidal Tendencies is:
Mike Muir - Vocals | Eric Moore - Drums | Dean Pleasants - Guitars | Tim Williams - Bass
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Now since these guys have been on again/off again, it's hard to say what they are going to play and what era of ST you'll get to hear. I'm sure that since they are coming up on 30 years as a band that they will most likely just toss out all the hits for everyone to get the moshpits going. But anywho, for those following their discography, the last album these guys dropped was "Free Your Soul...and Save My Mind". It's the eighth studio album by Suicidal Tendencies and was released on September 12th, 2000 via Suicidal Records. A cool piece of info... "To date, this is the most recent studio album to contain only original compositions by the band."
"FYS...SMM" was a combination of the crossover style of Freedumb and the funk-metal style of their pre-hiatus material (1990–1994).
1. Self Destruct
2. Su Casa Es Mi Casa
3. No More No Less
4. Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind
5. Pop Songs
6. Bullenium
7. Animal
8. Straight from the Heart
9. Cyco Speak
10. Start Your Brain
11. Public Dissension
12. Children of the Bored
13. Got Mutation
14. Charlie Monroe
15. Home
"On Free Your Soul and Save My Mind, Suicidal Tendencies' umpteenth studio release, the band revitalizes their moribund skater punk sound. After a series of disappointing full- and partial-length albums, this effort hits the mark in most respects. Once again, they sound like accomplished musicians, rattling off funky riffs and spirited three- to four-minute bursts of punk. 'No More, No Less' sparkles with the bifurcated bass and guitar lines of Josh Paul and Mike Clark. 'Children of the Bored' features some of the heaviest sections Suicidal Tendencies have ever recorded. The album's zenith is 'Start Your Brain,' a powerful old-timer punk tune with seriously wigged-out distortion techniques. The end result is refreshing and hard-driven, albeit mildly anachronistic. The only drawback of this release is frontman Mike Muir's continued writer's block. His lyrics remain repetitious and uninventive: a shadow of his former self. However, in most instances, the quality of the music makes up for it." -All Music
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"There is something that makes me enjoy this album while most people don't like it, it's probably that they added a lot more Funk style to their music without falling in a cliché, making their music evolving and not adopting Funk. Mike Muir decided to do something intelligent with this album, starting with the lyrics. It feels like he is constantly telling you to do something right, and be careful about what you do. This is definitely shown by the three min song Cyco speech in which like the title says Mike gives a rhythmic speech about thinking and acting. This could be annoying to some people but it's better than hearing 'Suicidal' in every song in my opinion.
On the other hand this album lacks in true outstanding songs, there isn't really a songs that stands above all in quality. The hit single Pop Songs could have been on the previous album and is more of a joke song than a serious song (even though I'm sure Mike Muir is serious with his lyrics).
To end this review, I will say that this isn't a regular ST album. If you're looking for Thrash metal, Punk or Hardcore Punk album like in the old St days, this album isn't for you. As an amateur musician myself I do enjoy the work done on instruments in this LP and experimental side they've created." -Sputnik Music
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So what about some new material dammit?! Well, it so happens that the guys are hard at work on a new album which is expected to be dropping sometime in 2012/2013. Here is what we gathered from an interview with Kill Your Stereo:
Is there anything you can tell us about the new album?
One of the things we’ve realised is when you’re young and out your first record and start playing it to people you are never thinking about thirty years down the track, I mean that’s twice as old as you are at the time. What we’ve learned is that when we do a new record, we know what we’re doing, we know it will be a great record and we’re not going to worry about what people are listening to at any given time. We just have to make sure we like it and we’re not trying to be some kind of a tribute to something else. An album has to be a statement of what we believe in. Consequently I think our music has obviously held up against the test of time. The new record will be the same, we’re not going to try and fit in with what other people are doing, it’s something that we are going to think very strongly of and that in 10-20 years later it will still sound good to someone who is hearing it for the first time. I think that’s the most important thing.
How long have you been writing new material for?
Well we have our own studio back home in The States and being our own label and with the way music is now, we don’t have to worry about putting something out by a certain time. Right now we have so much music, and we’ll play stuff and people will be like ‘fuck, what’s that?’ and one of us will be like ‘I don’t know man, just some stuff I’ve been working on’ and then (they would ask) ‘when’s it coming out?' and we’d be like ‘I don’t know man, I don’t even know if it will!’ We’re not really worried about ‘the game’ as much as we are about the music. I think that will probably come across when the next record comes out. Probably early next year I would imagine. I think in October I’ll be doing a Cyco Miko record which will have a taste of new Suicidal, old unreleased Suicidal, new Infectious Grooves, old Infectious Grooves and a bunch of other stuff as well. I think that will give people a taste of what’s to come and also surprise a few people with some of the stuff that we never put out.
So all you ST fans sit tight and keep patient. The material will surface soon enough.
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For more info about ST and their new album/touring schedule, check them at any of the following official links:- www.suicidaltendencies.com
- www.myspace.com/suicidaltendencies
- www.facebook.com/suicidaltendencies
- www.vevo.com/artist/suicidal-tendencies
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